Every year about this time I have to make a major decision on whether
or not to continue collecting and posting the significant daily events
for the upcoming year. This is not an easy task and involves the daily
reading of at least 2 newspapers, highlighting significant events and then
transferring the data to word files, which are then updated weekly to the
Timelines web site. I have been debating for some time the purchase of
a new electronic highlighter by Wizcom and finally decided to try it out.
The device works, but does not really make my work any easier. It has to
be used on a very flat surface and though it scans fairly accurately, everything
needs to be edited to conform to format and brevity restrictions on my
pages. Oh well. I will continue with my colored markers and the posting
of daily events for at least the next year.

On Dec 30 I went out to listen to some jazz at Dylan’s in SF. The music
was excellent but when I returned to my car I found the passenger window
of my company van smashed in and the front section ransacked. I had left
my cell phone, pager, electronic digital address book, checkbook, credit
cards, driver’s license all in a single fanny pack covered with a an old
sweater. It was gone. The SF police would not come on site and I went to
a station at 1AM to file a report. When I got home I taped some cardboard
over the window to keep out the rain and then began the process of blocking
all my credit cards.
One credit card already showed 4 gas hits and had stopped payment automatically.
At 2 AM I was about to try a stop on my cell phone, but instead called
my cell phone number and a voice answered with a thick Spanish accent.
I told the man I was desperate to get my stuff back. He said he only had
the cell phone and pager, and had just paid $80 for them. I explained how
important my stuff was, how it contained addresses and phone numbers for
hospitals across the NW US and he seemed almost sympathetic. I made an
appt. for the next day to meet at Dylan’s at 11 AM with money to buy my
stuff back.
At 7 AM I finished blocking my bank checks and proceeded to clean up
my car. The tempered glass fragments were everywhere. I made arrangements
with a neighbor to watch the house, as my wife and daughter had just departed
for London the previous day. At 11 AM I attempted to meet the carrier of
my cell phone. Police had warned me the night before not to do anything
without contacting police for help. The 11 AM appt was a dud and I again
called “the man." He said he was working and would meet me at 12 noon at
another location 17th and Potrero, a very seedy area.
My friend at Dylan’s, owner Titch Jones, had come down to act as a
safety valve, but could not accompany me for the 12 noon appt due to another
commitment. I also did not want to bring a 2nd person for fear that “the
man" would not trust me if another was present. I also feared that maybe
this was a setup and that my home was in danger of robbery. I had my daughter’s
cell phone, but did not have my neighbor’s number, so I drove home to check
the scene there, a round trip of some 15 miles. Every thing was fine at
home and I got my neighbor’s phone number. I then called SFPD for their
advice and was told that they could not set up a meeting at the new site
and that I would have to call them while making the transaction. Sure,
good idea, I said and hung up in frustration.
I returned to the new meeting place and called again. The area was
a haven for the homeless and the park nearby was a major drug users’ hangout.
I knew my cell phone had been fairly charged up, but was not sure how long
it would last. The man answered and said he would be there in 5 minutes.
Ten minutes later I called again. A few minutes later 2 men, one older
one younger, came up to the car. They carried my cell phone, pager and
digital organizer and asked for $100. They looked like Mexican migrant
day workers, fairly clean and not drug-dazed. I only had $57 in cash and
no access to any of my banking accounts or ATM machines. They denied breaking
into my car and demanded $100 to “cover their costs." We made a deal of
$50 for the organizer and pager and I said I would borrow another 50 and
be back in an hour.
I then went back to Dylan’s, but Titch was gone, and I knew he was
busily involved in some moving work. I called my neighbor and he said he
had 50 that he could lend me, so I headed home for a 2nd time that morning.
With another $50 in hand I headed back to the meeting place. I had
to park closer to the park and when I called “the man" was upset that I
was not in the same parking place. I assured him I was nearby. He said
to come up into the park. I said that I could not leave my van with the
broken window. He said wait another 5 minutes. Behind me a man was crawling
into the broken window of a parked park and rifling through some clothes.
Outside, through my broken window I could hear heavy, sickly coughing in
the bushes. Shifty characters zipped around some parked cars and an elderly
homeless man with a heavily packed shopping cart paused to showed off a
new portable TV to another character. I called again and was told to wait
a few more minutes. Moments later a very strange person, ill-dressed and
weird-looking appeared with my cell phone in hand. I gave him the 50 and
he said gracias amigo.
I spent New year’s Eve at home that evening updating history files
and wondering how the folks down at 17th and Potrero were doing.

The files for the years 1934-35, 1944 and 1945 have been updated. User
feedback pointed out conflicting entries for Hank Aaron’s b-day (Feb 5,
1934).

Should anybody like to donate to the Timelines Project, my address is
provided below.

Algis Ratnikas
117 Alta Vista
Daly City, Ca. 94014

Timelines of History
Newsletter #19
Jan 15, 2002

I compared my 2001 timeline info with the annual WSJ summary published
on Jan 2. Many dates do not agree because the WSJ posted most of their
events according to the event’s appearance in the Journal, whereas I post
events to the day the event actually occurred. My reference sources indicate
when the info appeared in print.

I was very dismayed recently when a 4th grade teacher sent me an e-mail
saying that a sex ad had popped up on the timelines site while she was
doing some work with her students. I immediately removed some flash ads
at the bottom of the front page that were supposed to provide web tools
and info for increasing web page hits. I also made a query with the Topica
people, who provide my newsletter service.

Topica responded as follows:

Topica.com does not employ any pornographic, pornography-based or sex-based
advertising of any sort. It is impossible that the adult pop-up adverts
viewed in your clients classroom originated from the Topica.com website.

I hope that this issue is done. Please let me know if you run across
such unusual events while visiting the timelines.

Paul Stinson here, from Saskatchewan, Canada:

I am a Grade 7 teacher. I am very impressed by your site - it is this
type of site that makes the internet a useful resource. I have been
looking forward to seeing December, 2001 being added to your timeline.
Sincerely,

December was added Jan 5.

Submitter by author Manu Herbstein for entry into the Ghana section:
“Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade" by Manu Herbstein paperback
- 450 pages; published by [e-reads]; ISBN: 1585869325 companion web-site:
www.ama.africatoday.com

Added to Ghana section, Black History, Books in 2001 (2001 Dec).

From Esther in Cleveland:

This is a FABULOUS site; I am finding it very, very valuable as a teacher.
My only recommendation would be to shift all dates to BCE and CE rather
than BC and AD, as this is rapidly becoming accepted academic use. Excellent
site; thank you for all your work in putting it together! Esther
Schrager Cleveland OH.

Good suggestion. I plan to begin implementing it.

Post Script and Follow-up to NL # 18

I was so intent on getting things organized on Jan 2 (following a Dec
30 break-in to my vehicle) that I woke up at 4:30 AM to begin. At 5:30
I went to get the morning paper and feed the cats. While down in the garage
I began to fiddle around looking for a garage door key, which I didn't
have handy, so I could lock the garage door for safety's sake. Fiddle here
and fiddle there, check keys here and there, upstairs, downstairs and before
you know it I locked myself out of the upstairs door. I ran downstairs
to access the hidden key in the garage and found the garage door locked.
It was raining, dark and I was in my slippers. No open windows that
I could see. I had but one old key in my hand and it fit nothing. I circled
the house 2 times and checked to see where the easiest place might be to
break in with the least damage. The window next to the main door was open
but it is blocked by an iron grate.
My wife (visiting London) has always left the upstairs bathroom window
open. I had closed it this morning, but did not remember whether the lock
clicked. I had 2 ladders in back, one 12 feet and the other an extension
to about 24 feet. My neighbors were visiting their parents in Germany and
on their side I could place a ladder on their porch roof and extend it
up to the 2nd floor bathroom window. I used the small ladder to get up
to their porch roof. It was slippery and angled about 45 degrees. I had
to crab walk up the incline to keep my slippers on and reach the roof where
a good size puddle awaited me. I had set up the 2nd ladder down from my
rear deck and proceeded to climb to my 2nd story bathroom window. It was
covered by a screen.
It was raining. It was dark. The ladder was shaking and so was
I. I could barely reach the window and could not really easily free the
screen to test the window. I looked down and saw the lower bathroom window.
I decided to try it.
I repositioned the small ladder below the lower bath window from the
rear edge of the house under the deck. It was set at about 80 degrees due
to a tree and vegetation and ground slope. I swung to the ladder top from
the back of the house and punched my finger thru the screen and found the
window unlocked (Thankyou O supreme merciful).
My wife had a big, new stained glass piece on the other side of the
window. I would be dead by her hand if it was damaged. I ripped out
the screen, slowly opened the window and latched on to the stained glass
piece so it would not crash down. I pulled it out and set it down in back
and approached the window again. This is a narrow window 10-12 inches wide
and 2-3 feet high. I got in.
It was 7:30 AM and I was soaked. By 9:00 AM I had my car window fixed,
the morning paper read and was off to the DMV for a duplicate license.
After an hour wait I was asked for $12 for the duplicate. I only had 8
on me.

A week later my original driver’s license and a single business card
came to me in the mail in an unmarked white envelope.

Timelines of History
Newsletter #20
Feb 1, 2002

My current plan is to make some CDs available of all the timelines as
they sit in my files. These will include a number of subjects in process
and not yet uploaded. For heavy users I believe it would be very beneficial
to have a local, up-to-date copy and I might even generate some income.
In the next newsletter I will announce an auction for the 1st 5-10 copies.
They will be made in batches over the upcoming months and naturally each
batch will be a little more encompassing than the previous.

A user asked if it would be easy to change the light blue background
of the timelines files to white. The simple answer is no. Each file is
individually formatted from a template that I set to light blue some time
ago. I have now changed the template to a lighter, very light blue to help
improve contrast for some users systems. This process will take a long
time to cover all the files.

I have added a front page link to NARA, the US National Archives and
Records Administration. On April 1 they will release data from the 1930
census. Data from the 1940 census will only become available in 2012. By
law they have to restrict access to census files for 72 years.

How would you respond to Mr. Charles Eliot?

1884 Charles Eliot, president of Harvard, captured the prevailing
impatience with the old-fashioned curriculum: Are our men being educated
for the work of the twentieth century of the seventeenth."
(WSJ, 1/28/02, p.A13)

The list below is my current accumulation of new books reviewed in the
WSJ during January 2002. In an ideal world I would read them all. Perhaps
some of you can get to them and provide feedback:

2002 Peter Kivy authored “The Possessor and the Possessed," in
which he explores the philosophical ideas about creativity.
(WSJ, 1/17/02, p.A12)

2002 James Howard Kunstler authored “The City in Mind," a comparison
of Europe’s urban centers with those in the US.
(WSJ, 1/7/02, p.A1)

2002 Caroline Winterer authored “The Culture of Classicism," a
history of the study of classicism in America during the 18th and 19th
centuries.
(WSJ, 1/28/02, p.A13)

Recent file entries on current news allowed me to turn up the following
interesting set:

2001 Aug 9, It was reported that the US had decided to pay China
$34,567 to cover the costs of the spy plane that was detained on Hainan
island. China had asked for $1 million and rejected the offer.
(SFC, 8/10/01, p.A12)(SFC, 8/13/01, p.A12)
2001 Aug 10, China received its new $120 mil Boeing 767-300ER
aircraft following retrofit in San Antonio, Tx. In Oct Chinese experts
discovered high-tech listening devices hidden in the plane. Purchase of
the plane was 1st announced in Aug 2000.
(SFC, 1/19/02, p.A4)

As always your feedback and opinions are much appreciated.
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
Newsletter #21
Feb 15, 2002

The following 2 entries represent a before and after scenario following
feedback from a timelines user with personal experience in the case. It
helps stress the value of your feedback:

1986 Mar 27, Rose Ann Parker shot and killed her boyfriend,
Arthur Boga (54). Boga had threatened to shoot her, her former boyfriend
and her son after he learned that she was pregnant by a former boyfriend.
Parker was convicted of 2nd degree murder in 1987. In 2000 Gov. Davis granted
parole to Parker.
(SFC, 9/25/00, p.A1)
1986 Mar 27, In California Rose Ann Parker shot and
killed, Arthur Boga (54). Boga had threatened to shoot her, her former
boyfriend and her son after he learned that she was pregnant. Boga was
also a drug dealer, and a violent abusive man who beat her regularly and
got her pregnant. Parker was convicted of 2nd degree murder in 1987. In
2000 Gov. Davis granted parole to Parker. The battered women's syndrome
was not a legal defense in California in 1986 and wasn’t accepted until
1992. Parker wouldn't have been convicted of murder if it had been.
(SFC, 9/25/00, p.A1)(P-E, 10/6/00, p.B8)

Some time ago a user adapted a number of the Timeline of History files
for the Palm Pilot and posted them on the net. The query below is likely
a reference to those files:

I have a set of your excellent 'timelines' on my Psion5 PDA. I
am now a mature student (age 56) in War Studies at Birmingham University
(UK) and would appreciate more of your reference material on my PDA.
I have looked at http://timelines.ws/ but can not find anymore Psion material.
Are you no longer supporting Psion? Or are the files somewhere else.

I have not developed files for any PDA. If there is wider need for such
files the following item may help to develop them.

Drum Roll: boom boom boom boom boom:

Timelines of History CD

The Timelines of History is now available on CD-ROM. These CDs will
be produced on demand and will incorporate all of my updated files many
of which do not get updated regularly on the Web Site. The total number
of files is currently ~ 887 and occupies 111 Meg of digital space. The
CD will include numerous subject timelines not yet posted. These include:

Some of these are relatively small, while others are very extensive.
They are all extracted from the Timelines and this process is ongoing.
With the CD in hand you would be able to do more complete extractions on
these and any other subject under the sun.

The CD also includes a local search engine, the shareware program “T-Find"
from A-1 Software, which I have been using for years and find invaluable.
It can be set to search any directory including the whole CD.

Initial copies of these CDs will cost $50. This includes $15 for the
shareware search engine. E-mail me at aalgis@aol.com if you are interested.
I will need a check in advance.

Yesterday’s Valentine’s day suddenly struck me that this is a time when
many of our species would likely engage in reproductive activities and
that it might be interesting to examine some of the progeny born around
Nov 12-16. It took about 15 minutes to gather the following data using
the search engine and the today in history files.

354AD Augustine (Aurelius Augustinus, d.430) was born in Tagaste,
North Africa (modern Souk Ahras, Algeria). Augustine of Hippo, Church Father
and philosopher, held that as long as the fetus was “shapeless" homicide
laws did not apply because it had no senses and no soul. "Total abstinence
is easier than perfect moderation." He fused the New Testament with Greek
philosophy.
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine.html
(V.D.-H.K.92)(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.13)(HN, 11/13/98)

1312 Nov 13, Edward III, King of England (1327-77), was born.
He later raped the countess of Salisbury.
(WUD, 1994 p.454)(HN, 11/13/98)(MC, 11/13/01)

1765 Nov 14, Robert Fulton, inventor of the first steamboat, was
born.
(HN, 11/14/98)

1811 Nov 16, John Bright, British Victorian radical, was born.
He founded the Anti-Corn Law League.
(HN, 11/16/99)

1815 Nov 12, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a social reformer and
militant feminist, was born in Johnstown, New York, and graduated from
the Troy Female Seminary in
1832. She worked closely with Susan B. Anthony and served as president
of the National Woman Suffrage Association. She died on October 26, 1902.
She said, “The male element is a destructive force" in an address to the
Women’s Suffrage Convention in Washington, D.C. in 1868.
(AP, 11/12/97)(HNQ, 5/17/98)

1840 Nov 12, Auguste Rodin, French sculptor who created “The Kiss,"
was born.
(HN, 11/12/98)
1840 Nov 14, Claude Monet (d.1926), French Impressionist painter,
was born. He is best known for his late work done at Giverney, northwest
of Paris after 1890. He came up with the idea of series pictures, which
feature a single subject shown again and again under varying conditions
of light and weather. He studied in Paris with Charles Gleyre, a Swiss
academic painter, and there met Frederic Bazille, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
and Alfred Sisley. Together they developed open-air painting which came
to be known as Impressionism.
(WSJ, 7/25/95, p.A-10)(HN, 11/14/98)

1850 Nov 13, Robert Lewis Stevenson (d.1894), novelist, was born
in Scotland. He wrote, among other books, “Treasure Island" and “The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Robert Louis Stevenson: Interviews and
Recollections" was ed. by R.C. Terry and published in 1996.
(Smith., 8/95, p.54)(SFC, 9/1/96, Par. p.12)(HN, 11/13/98)(MC, 11/13/01)

1856 Nov 13, Louis Brandeis, was born. He became the first Jew
to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.
(HN, 11/13/00)

1866 Nov 12, Sun Yat-Sen (d.1925), Chinese statesman and revolutionary
leader, was born (trad) to a Christian peasant near Macao. He attended
an Anglican grammar school in Hawaii, and went on to graduate from Hong
Kong School of Medicine in 1892. While there he became involved in revolutionary
activities and was forced to leave China in 1895. He organized a revolutionary
secret society in 1905. In 1911 he returned to China after a successful
revolution in the south and became provisional president of a republican
government there before stepping aside for Yuan Shih-k'ai. Sun formed the
nationalist Kuomintang party in 1912.: "To understand is hard. Once one
understands, action is easy."
(HFA, '96, p.18)(AP, 6/22/97)(HNQ, 6/3/98)

1873 Nov 16, William Christopher Handy, W.C. Handy, father of
the blues famous for “St. Louis Blues," was born in Alabama.
(HN, 11/16/98)(MC, 11/16/01)

1882 Nov 15, Felix Frankfurter, U.S. 80th Supreme Court Justice
(1939-62), was born in Vienna, Austria. He came to the U.S. in 1894 and
graduated from Harvard Law School in 1906. A close adviser to President
Franklin Roosevelt, Frankfurter helped recruit personnel for the New Deal.
He was appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court in 1939 and served
until 1962. Frankfurter died on February 22, 1965. “There is no inevitability
in history except as men make it."
(AP, 2/27/98)(HNQ, 3/16/99)(MC, 11/15/01)

1889 Nov 14, Jawaharlal Nehru (d.1964), Indian nationalist leader
(1947-1964), was born. "A man who is afraid will do anything."
(AP, 9/27/97)(HN, 11/14/00)(MC, 11/14/01)
1889 Nov 16, George S. Kaufman, American playwright and screenwriter,
was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. His plays included "Dinner at Eight," "You
Can't Take it With You" and "The Man Who Came to Dinner."
(HN, 11/16/99)(MC, 11/16/01)

1891 Nov 15, W. Averell Harriman, (Gov-D-NY) and US ambassador
to USSR (1943-46), was born.
(MC, 11/15/01)
1891 Nov 15, Erwin Rommel, field marshal in World War II, was
born. He commanded the Afrika Korps in North Africa and defended the Normandy
coast on D-Day.
(HN, 11/15/99)

1900 Nov 14, Aaron Copeland (d.1990), American composer, was born
in New York City. His works include "Billy the Kidd," "Appalachian
Spring" and "Fanfare for the Common Man."
(DrEE, 9/28/96, p.1)(HN, 11/14/99)

1908 Nov 14, Joseph McCarthy was born. He became an anti-Communist
Senator from Wisconsin who gave the name “McCarthyism" to his communist
witch-hunts. In 1999 William F. Buckley Jr. published "The Redhunter,"
a historical novel about Joe McCarthy.
(HN, 11/14/98)(WSJ, 7/22/99, p.A24)

1945 Nov 12, Neil Young, singer and songwriter (Cosby, Sills &
Young), was born in Toronto.
(MC, 11/12/01)
1945 Nov 12, Cordell Hull (d.1955) was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for his role in founding the United Nations. Hull served as secretary
of state in the Franklin Roosevelt Administration (1933-1944) longer than
any other individual. Hull, born in Tennessee in 1871, had been a U.S.
senator prior to his appointment by Roosevelt.
(HNQ, 7/6/98)(MC, 11/12/01)

As always your feedback and opinions are much appreciated.
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
Newsletter #22
Mar 1, 2002

The following is my 1st recorded Timelines entry taken from the WSJ:
1995 Sep 5, France under Pres. Chirac resumed nuclear testing, after
a three-year moratorium, in the French South Pacific atoll of Mururoa.
World-wide protests failed to stop testing.
(WSJ, 9/8/95, p.A-8)(AP, 9/5/00)
A number of earthquakes had already occurred in 1995, including the
one in Kobe, Japan, and I wondered if such testing would not act as a trigger
for more. I had also just finished reading the Charles Van Doren "History
of Knowledge" with its abundance of dates and the 2 factors got me back
rolling on an old project that I had begun and abandoned years earlier
on paper.
As France continued nuclear testing a number of earthquakes did occur
and I did not see any news reports linking the two together. By this time
I began to see how valuable the timelines could be and I undertook the
project in earnest. About a year later I began posting it as a web site.

1995 Oct 1, France detonated another nuclear device, 5 times more powerful
than the last one, on Fangatouga Atoll in the South Pacific.
(WSJ, 10/2/95, P.A-1)
1995 Oct 1, An earthquake in southwestern Turkey killed about 90 people.
(AP, 10/1/00)
1995 Oct 7, A 7.0 earthquake killed 80-100 people on Indonesia's island
of Sumatra.
(WSJ, 10/9/95, p.A1)(AP, 10/7/00)
1995 Oct 9, An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude shakes Mexico's Pacific
coast killing at least 90 in southern Jalisco state. An earthquake with
a magnitude of 7.6 shook the west coast of Mexico, killing 51 people.
(WSJ, 10/10/95, p.A1)(AP, 10/9/00)
1995 Oct 20, France, the United States and Britain announced a treaty
banning atomic blasts in the South Pacific, but only after France finished
testing there the following year.
(AP, 10/20/00)
1995 Nov 20, France conducted its 4th nuclear test at the Mururoa atoll
in French Polynesia. [other news sources indicated a severe earthquake
with the epicenter in the Red Sea]
(WSJ, 11/22/95, p.A1)

Sales of my CD have been very slow (none). I attribute this to the relatively
high cost along the fact that much of the info is free on my web site and
other places. My "R&D people" have advised me to reduce the price and
to emphasize the fact that the CD contains a lot more data than does the
web site. And… that it can be transferred to your own computer along with
a very good search engine. I am spinning the CD operations off to an offshore
partnership, under my control, and recording the transfer as a sale valued
at 1 million dollars in company stock. My "legal and accounting department"
have recommended this common practice to help offset my future profits.
The CD is now available for $20 plus $5 for shipping and handling.

The following is a summary of user feedback from the last 2 weeks.

David Howard queried me with the following:
I visited your website to do a little research on November 11, 1111
A.D. and got your email address from the site. Do you know of anything
that specifically happened on that day? Possibly even at 11:11 am?
If anybody knows what happened on Nov 11, 1111 AD at 11:11 am, please
let me know, so I can post David the answer.

Hello Algis,
First I want to thank you for this flawless job on timelines.ws
Algis can you help me here? in the example below what are those (NH,
4/97, p.62) reference to? Do you have more information on page 62 of some
database? nh, am, ap. What are those references for?
1191 Richard the Lionheart married Bernegaria of Navarre in Limassol,
Cyprus.
(NH, 4/97, p.62)
I had recently finished "Eleanor of Aquitaine" by Desmond Stewart (1978,
Dorset Press) and was able to enhance the initial entry. Again all references
are listed in the Ref file at the front page top of the web site.
1191 May 12, Richard the Lionheart married (Bernegaria) Berengaria
of Navarre in Limassol, Cyprus.
(NH, 4/97, p.62)(EofA, p.161)
Thank you Algis for all your help and please keep on doing what you
are doing it is a great service and it just reflects a vast pool of knowledge
from your part.
I am dying to have full details on the 1871 sinking of an Austrian
vessel that was transporting part of General Di Cesnola treasure of over
5,000 antiquity archeological pieces on its way from Cypress to New York
(sinking between Cypress and Lebanon). I saw some bits and pieces of details
on your web and a reference (AM, 7/00, p.63) but in another google.com
results I found that there was another brief mentioning about the disappearance
of that vessel on its way from Egypt to New work (still very vague!). Is
there any reliable sources that mentions where did this vessel sink? Not
even the name of the vessel is mentioned on the net! If such a treasure
sank in 1871 how come there weren't any salvage attempts. Is it a hoax?
Or was the vessel pirated and then later wrecked somewhere by profiteers
or even the Turks who had banned Cesnola from exporting this treasure.
Thank you, Joe Sayegh

I did have extensive info on General Di Cesnola, but no answer on the
1871 sinking.

I'm a music teacher and I do a music history unit with my 6th graders.
I like incorporating things that are going on in society with along with
the music. I have used your timeline numerous times, and find it
very interesting and insightful. Thank you for the time and effort you
have put into this endeavor.
Christine Smith

From Heather Streets:
Thank you for creating such a wonderful internet resource.
I am writing to you to request permission to use a number of historical
references found on your website, http://timelines.ws. Sourced material
will be referenced in the bibliography of the publication I am currently
producing.
The publication will commemorate Heald College's 140th anniversary.
Featured in the book will be a timeline with significant milestones in
Heald College's history. To supplement the history, I am also including
milestones that occurred in the United States during the same period of
time.

The following 2 items were corrected and updated following user feedback:

c2100-1900 In Stonehenge Phase III the builders encircled the bluestones
with sarsen stones, a sandstone (probably from a quarry in Avebury, 20
miles away). These were topped by caps and the bluestones were re-arranged
and dug into the ground. The axis of the circle was also re-calculated
so that one way Stonehenge points to the summer solstice at sunrise and
lined up the other way it points to the winter solstice at sunset.
(HT, 3/97, p.22)(SD)

2001 Jan 2, Former state governor and Sen. Bob Kerrey (1992-2000)
began working as president of the New School in NYC.
(SFC, 1/2/01, p.B2)

The following item came from a short Newsweek article, but the event
was not dated. I picked up the date from the Internet.

1945 Jan 30, The
German liner "Wilhelm Gustloff" sank in the Baltic Sea between the Bay
of Danzig and the Danish island of Bornholm. An estimated 7000-8000 people,
civilian refugees from East Prussia and wounded German soldiers, drowned
in the icy waters. Three torpedoes fired from a Russian submarine had scored
direct hits on the ship. The result was the largest and most horrible naval
disaster of all time.
(NW, 3/18/02, p.11) http://www.cybercreek.com/cybercity/WWIIps/gu

Much of my time is now being spent dealing with the bundle of daily
info I receive from the MightyCool “Today in History" archive.
http://www.MightyCool.com
My initial chore is editing, formatting and comparing the info to what
is already present in my timelines. This is a phase 1 operation. The info
is then tagged to my Today in History. When a full year is deposited I
will commence with phase 2, which is to insert all the data into the appropriate
years. This is the same procedure I used with the Associated Press data
and the Historynet data. I have 6 months down with MC, and 6 months to
go to complete phase 1. I can then commence with Phase 2. What follows
is an example of how one file initially looks.

I have developed numerous word macros to help with many of the reformatting
changes, but after that it is compare, cut and paste, item by item.

I look forward to your responses.
Until next time,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
Newsletter #24
April 1, 2002

Happy birthday to the TL Newsletter. This marks the beginning of year
2.

Hi,
I just want to say your timeline page SAVED MY BUTT!!!
I’m a high school student, and my assignment is due in 2 days and I
needed this info! Luckily I found this site on Google, and I want to say,
YOU’RE THE BEST!
Natalie

The following file was added: 2002 Feb.
Updated States: Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York, North Dakota.
Updated 1500-1524

Question from Jeff Hogan

My son has built so many timelines by hand that it warrants purchasing
software into which he could simply input the begin date, person name or
event name, end date (if it's not an event) and have the program create
the labelled index marks and colored bar lengths (if not an event) that
match the color of its label down below. Do you have any advice?
Thank you very much,

I did not have an answer for Jeff but promised to broadcast his request.
This also made me wonder if such software would be all that wonderful for
his son. If the material was just plugged into a program, the time spent
on the project would be cut way down, but so would the actual learning
experience. Hand building timelines allow for the material to seep in and
provide an avenue for creativity.
That said, if such software does exist, I will be happy to post the
info.

As events transpire it is clear that initial reports are often error
prone and that a certain amount of time is needed for the facts to be sorted
out. Over a longer period the facts can begin to blur or become twisted
to suit various purposes. Any account of an event long past has to take
into account all these factors and one may well wonder how much of any
“post partum" story truly depicts the original events. The Bible is a very
good example. It is with this in mind that I constantly check and update
events in the timelines. As an example of this process I would like to
cite the Scope Systems (Similar to AP or the HistoryNet) note for Dec 1,
1955 on Rosa Parks:

1955 Dec 1, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to
move to the back of the bus.

Below is a synopsis of the story accrued over time and a number of sources
that is now in the Timelines:

1955 Dec 1, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old seamstress and secretary
of the Montgomery NAACP, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, as she sat
in a section of a bus just behind the area reserved for whites. She refused
to move to the back the bus [to accommodate a white male passenger] as
ordered by driver James F. Blake (d.2002 at 89) and defied the South’s
segregationist laws. This prompted the Dec. 5 bus boycott, a year-long
boycott of the buses by blacks, and launched the Civil Rights movement
in the United States. Virginia Durr (d.1999 at 95) helped a black civil
rights leader bail Parks out of jail. In 1985 Durr wrote her memoir: "Outside
the Magic Circle." In 1999 Pres. Clinton authorized a Congressional Gold
Medal for Rosa Parks.
(HFA, '96, p.44)(SFC, 5/12/96, p.A-6)(SFEC, 9/15/96, p.A2)(SFEM,
2/2/97, p.8) (AP, 12/1/97)(HN, 12/1/98)(SFC, 3/10/99, p.A23)(SFC, 5/5/99,
p.A3)(SFC, 3/26/02, p.A24)

As always your comments and suggestions are much appreciated.

Springing along,
Algis
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
Newsletter #25
April 15, 2002

Topica, the carrier for the TofH NL, is going to start including text
advertising as of April 20. I hope that it will not be too intrusive. It
may appear at the top or bottom, we’ll have to wait and see. If anybody
has suggestions for an alternate free carrier, please let me know.

About 2 weeks ago it appears that some kind soul sent a broadcast message
informing people of the Timelines of History website. The weekly hits jumped
from an average of 3-4 thousand to 7k one week and 10k the next. This also
brought on some 300 new NL readers and I welcome you one and all. I would
appreciate it if one of the new readers could drop me an e-mail and perhaps
explain where the message came from. To avoid being inundated with responses,
let me know if your last name begins with an “S," or if you are directly
responsible, so a can give a personal thanks.

Recent state updates include: Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania and
Rhode Island.
Recent year updates include: 1862-1863
I have posted a 2 new files titled: “littles1" and “littles2" at the
top of the country listings. They contains a lot of short references to
countries and entities for which my information is limited. When these
grow to a page or two I transfer them to a file of their own. The entries
begin with the ABC Islands, Abkhazia… and run thru to Zapotecs.

I have received my 1st order for a T of H CD for $25. This includes
shipping and handling. If you are a frequent user of the timelines, you
might want to consider the CD, which includes a local shareware search
engine. These CDs are made on order, so they will reflect the most current
state of info as it resides on my system.

Mark this event for celebration on your calendars:

Jul 17, Willis Carrier invented modern day air conditioning at the Sackett-Wilhelms
Lithographing and Publishing Company in Brooklyn, NY, in 1902. Carrier’s
invention was used primarily to cool machines, not people. In 1928 the
U.S. House of Representatives was air conditioned, followed shortly by
the Senate, White House and Supreme Court.
(PR Carrier Corp., 7/17/02)

As I type and edit and cut and paste I come across entries that are
just flat off the wall. Although I have not yet created specific parameters
or guidelines as to what should be in the timelines and what should be
disregarded, I have come to realize that some sort of criteria would be
helpful. e.g. Should something like this be kept?

1653 Dec 1, An athlete from Croydon was reported to have run 20 miles
from St. Albans to London in less than 90 minutes.
(MC, 12/1/01)

The info is somewhat precise but is it credible? The 1st 1897 Boston
marathon was won in 2 hrs and 55 min. In 1997 the winning time was 2 hrs
and 7 min. For the Croydon athlete to have clocked in at 1 hour and 30
min. does not seem credible. I do not have the time or resources to try
to verify all the timeline information. However if a reader provides corrections
along with source info I do make the corrections. This is one of the main
qualities of the timelines. The files are intended to be forever fixable.
With this in mind I have created a file titled “wacko" (not yet posted)
to include what borders on the absurd and trivial such as:

1680 Dec 4, Hen in Rome laid an egg imprinted with comet not seen until
Dec 16th.
(MC, 12/4/01)

As always your comments and feedback are much appreciated.

Algis
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #26
May 1, 2002

Well once again the Webby awards people have passed me by. Perhaps I
need more animation on my front page. They’re probably not even aware the
Timelines site exists. No importa. This NL is now going out to some 600
people and weekly hits now range from 4-5 thousand. When the NL subscriber
list reaches 1000, it will not be free for me and I will be in a quandary.
We’ll worry about that later.
I have extracted a timeline on Television up to 1980 plus, and put
it in the subject category. Also placed there is the promised US Presidents.
Both are still incomplete, as is everything else, but they both collect
info that is spread across many files and should prove useful.
Before I took up the TL project, I spent a lot of my time playing accordion
in a local jug band and then in a Balkan folk dance band. In the jug band
period we played a lot of old American tunes that reflected historical
events. I think it would be interesting to make a CD available of tunes
that tie to American history. I would appreciate feedback on this.

Correction (the initial note had Lemmon in the TV show):
2001 Jun 28, Jack Lemmon, film actor, died at age 76. His work
included the film "The Odd Couple," in which he played Felix Unger. Tony
Randall played Felix Unger in the TV series.
(WSJ, 6/29/01, p. A1)(UFB, 4/22/02)

A NL user was kind enough to inform me of the following.
From emazing.com 6 April, 2002:
Whether you're a fan of the fascinating stories that come from history,
or you have a paper to write for a history class, the Timelines of History
site is a place you'll want to bookmark. Kids asking you about something
they learned in class? Look it up here! There are several different ways
to search for information, making this a great research site as well. You
can browse through the History of the World, research specific dates, read
up important dates in various countries, or look through the list of Subjects.
This is definitely a site you'll use, with other useful links as well.

I am sending this a little early because I sent out a misleading e-mail
on a virus that I soon found out to be a hoax. My deepest apologies on
this “teddy bear hoax." The mass e-mail went out to some 100 early subscribers
of the newsletter whose addresses remained in my AOL address book. This
will not happen again. I deleted all the early NL subscriber names from
my address book. This has really re-enforced for me the importance of double
checking info even when coming from a trusted source, especially when it
calls for making operating system changes.

I gave the front page a little face lift. A new Golden Globe icon, representing
diamond status candidacy, is also posted. I moved most of the supplementary
links that were at the top of the page to the bottom. Now the principal
timeline files are close to the top of the front page for quick access.

My first CD sale was completed and 2 more are pending. I recommend the
CD to those of you who access the timelines frequently.

Here is a short list of my primary timeline reference books. I use these
to verify questionable items from other sources as best I can. I have not
as yet gone through these sources item by item, but may eventually do so:

Chronology of the Modern World 1763-1965: Neville Williams, David McKay,
NY. 1968, 923 pages with index.

The timelines for the 15th century have been updated. These are now
in 3 files: 1400-1449, 1450-1475 and 1476-1499.

New entries include such items as the following taken from the recent
issue of Old News which I highly recommend (see the Old News link on web
site front page):

1859 John Augustus, Boston businessman, died. He instituted a
practice called probation and helped spare some 2,000 convicted offenders
from prison sentences. In 1891 the Mass. state legislature established
the 1st official judicial probation system. In 1925 the US Congress passed
the National Probation Act.
(ON, 5/02, p.5)

1894 Edward Herbert Thompson, American consul, purchased land
in the Yucatan that contained the ruins of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza.
(ON, 5/02, p.6)

1588 Dec, Sir William Fitzwilliam, the English Lord Deputy of
Ireland, planned an attack against the McClancy clan led by chieftain Dartry.
Francisco de Cuellar and a group of stranded Spanish Armada soldiers successfully
held the clan’s Rossclogher Castle under a 17-day siege.
(ON, 5/02, p.11)

Algis
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #28
June 1, 2002

What is it that constitutes a significant historical event? What criteria
of significance should one use, when reviewing the multitudinous day to
day events from around the world, for selection as a “permanent entry"
to the timelines of history? These are 2 questions that I have to ask myself
every day as I digest the daily papers, weekly and monthly magazines, and
various other resources for possible inclusion into the timelines. I have
not presented my criteria before now because most of my efforts have been
devoted to gathering and rearranging events already collected and presented
by such “Today in History" sources as: the Associated Press, Historynet,
MightyCool, 440 Int’l., Poor Gabriel and Scope Systems. As the backbone
was built it became clear that not only did each resource have its own
idea of “significant event," but also in many case its own idea as to when
that event occurred!
I quickly took to double entry historical accounting (often triple
and quadruple) to validate entries and added information according to time
and place (and currently subject) whenever possible. This cross-referencing
increased accuracy, reduced redundancy and clearly pointed to discrepancies.
The multiple entry also allowed for events, often identified only by general
time or general place in one source, to be attached to specific dates and
places as other sources provided added info. The timelines are thus set
up as a sort of limited, hand-made, relational database.
This backbone development established part of my working criteria.
If an event was already posted, than additional related data seemed to
me appropriate. Thus short entries have often grown to larger entries.
Now back to the question with which I began.
I would like to have your input on this. The following items I gathered
for inclusion to the May 21, 2002, general timeline. In 2003 it will be
supplemented with what AP considers was significant. What would you add
or take out and why?

2002 May 21, The US State Dept issued its annual report on terrorism:
“Patterns of Global Terrorism 2001." Iran was branded as the most active
supporter of terrorism due to increased support for Palestinian militants.
(SFC, 5/22/02, p.A12)
2002 May 21, The Bush administration announced that it would
resume economic aid to Yugoslavia because it had met requirements to cooperate
with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
(SFC, 5/22/02, p.A15)
2002 May 21, Merrill Lynch agreed to pay $100 million to settle
allegations that it misled investors during the 1990s.
(SFC, 5/22/02, p.A1)
2002 May 21, Citigroup agreed to buy Cal Fed Bank for $5.8 billion
in cash and stock.
(SFC, 5/22/02, p.A1)
2002 May 21, In Medellin, Colombia, fighting between security
forces and guerrillas left at least 9 people dead including 2 children.
(SFC, 5/22/02, p.A15)
2002 May 21, In Germany there were anti-war protests on the eve
of Pres. Bush’s arrival.
(WSJ, 5/22/02, p.A1)
2002 May 21, It was reported that scientists in Guatemala had
found the source of jade deposits used by the Olmecs and Mayans.
(SFC, 5/22/02, p.A2)
2002 May 21, Fighting between Indian and Pakistan soldiers in
Kashmir killed 9 civilians and wounded 7 others. Gunmen in Srinagar assassinated
Abdul Ghani Lone (70), a moderate Kashmiri separatist leader.
(SFC, 5/21/02, p.A9)(SFC, 5/22/02, p.A13)(WSJ, 5/22/02, p.A1)
----------
The following is a link to a student-created site on Leonardo da Vinci.
“There are lesson plans, museum links, current articles online about the
celebration of Leonardo's Bronze Horse in Milan, as well as a view of the
Mona Lisa Bridge now built in Oslo, Norway."
http://library.thinkquest.org/13681/data/davin2.shtml?tqskip=1
----------
I have inserted a donation button on the front page of the web site
with PayPal as a 3rd party mediating agent. I am hoping that some heavy
users of the timelines will get the message and help defray my operating
costs. I will acknowledge all donations in this newsletter, unless asked
not to do so. The PayPal system also makes it easier for users to make
payments for special requests or the Timeline CD.

The PayPal system allows anybody with an e-mail address to set up a
personal account for paying bills (at no extra charge), or receiving funds,
in a secure internet environment. If you use the following Pay Pal referral
link to register, I get $5.00. You could consider this as your donation
for this year.
https://www.paypal.com/refer/pal=3L2S2S7A3SAXJ
----------
Recently updated files included: Haiti, Hittites, Honduras, Hong Kong,
Hungary, Iceland, India and Indonesia. The India file was divided into
2 sections, the 1st up thru 1990. The 5 decades from 1800-1850 have also
been updated. 1928, 1929, 1938 and 1939 have also been updated.
----------
Corrected errors noted by users include:
“You accidentally have the fall of Manila in January of your 1941 page.
The Japanese attacked the Philippines 8 hours after they bombed Pearl Harbor."
[correction made]

From Mike Jones:
In your timeline, you show Margaret Halsey as publishing her book With
Malice... in 1928. This is a typo. It was 1938. [correction
made]

Other corrected errors:
The following were posted in 1802:
1803 May 16, Great Britain and France renewed their war.
1803 May 18, Great Britain declared war on France after General
Napoleon Bonaparte continues interfering in Italy and Switzerland .
----------
After a 2 year hiatus, some interest has cropped up in making the timelines
available in PDA format:
“I got the timelines from www.memoware.com in the history section
doing a search for ‘timeline.’ I think the timelines are great and
are exactly what I was looking for. I am going to do some research
on how to convert the HTML on your site into a PDA format. If I get
some done, I will send them to you for use on your site."

The memoware site has a very large list of files available for PDAs
organized by subject.

This user pointed me to look at TomeRaider.com, free software that allows
simple file conversions to PDA format. A version that removes banner adds
costs $20. The user ordered the Timelines CD for conversion to one long
file with TomeRaider for his PDA.
----------
The online World Almanac for Kids has selected the Timelines site as
an editor’s pick. Their icon is now included at the top of the front page.
----------
When you next visit the timelines site, please click on the Diamond
Award icon to help me garner enough votes to retain the diamond status.
----------
Historical event: Pick of the last 2 weeks:
1942 John R. Brinkley (b.1885), Kansas scam artist, died. He
was known as the “goat gland doctor" for touting sexual vitality with goat
gland implants. He also built one of the nation’s 1st radio stations KFKB
(Kansas Folks Know Best). In 2002 R. Alton Lee authored “The Bizarre Careers
of John R. Brinkley."
(WSJ, 5/24/02, p.W11)
----------
And last but not least, a new entry into my duple file:
1996 Jan 7, "Crazy for You" closed at Shubert Theater, NYC, after
1622 performances.
(MC, 1/7/02)
1996 Jan 7, Pres. Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, a White House
intern, engaged in a 5th sexual encounter at the White House.
(SFC, 9/12/98, p.A13)

Your continued support and comments are most appreciated,
Best regards,

Algis
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #29
June 15, 2002

It is one thing to look out across a vast ocean and know that valuable
resources lie therein. It is quite another to extract even a single sardine.
Similarly with the timelines we have at hand tons of information, but up
until now only cups and cans for mining and retrieval. I recently began
work with an enthusiastic programmer from New Zealand, who agree to take
on the project of creating a “flat file" DB for the timelines that would
allow for rapid searches of all the files with returns of data in a clear
and simple format. Work on this began and significant progress was
made when another individual offered to collaborate and put the timeline
data into an SQL database, which would allow even more detailed searches
and ultimately enable single entry for data.
Much to my regret Deck Hazen from New Zealand, creator of the “flat
file" DB bowed out in deference to the SQL DB proposal.

The proposed searchable DB will not be a free service, but it will be
affordable and worth a low-cost subscription. Deck’s work in progress is
available for your perusal with a single subject category for searches
at:
http://www.hazen.co.nz/instructions1.htm
--------------------
John Kenyon is the creator of the decades.com web site, which hosts
a variety of subject timelines and allows individuals to create their own
timelines from info in his DB:
http://www.decades.com
Mr. Kenyon and I are considering possibilities for mutual cooperation
that include putting the timelines into an SQL DB as mention above. More
on this will follow.
--------------------
Alexander Ganse informed him of some errors that included the frequent
misspelling of “Gibralter" which I proceeded to correct. He also pointed
me over to his world history website:
www.whkmla.info
This is a remarkable piece of work, similar in scope to timelines.ws,
but with a different format. His organization groups countries by continent.
Even though the site competes with mine I have to recommend it.
--------------------
Updated files include Sudan, 1000-1099, 1200-1299
--------------------
The Timelines Annual award for the fulfilment of one’s destiny goes
to:
Thomas Crapper who pioneered his one-piece pedestal flushing toilet
on Jan 13, 1863.
(MC, 1/13/02)
---------------------

We have audited the balance sheet of timelines.ws for the 6-month period
ending June 1, 2002, in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.
In our opinion the financial statement represents the consolidated
financial position of timelines.ws and we express marked wonder at how
the management is able to continue operations.

AR & Associates LLP

Your continued support and comments are most appreciated,
Best regards,

Algis
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #30
Jul 1, 2002

I would like to thank all the users of the timelines who have contributed
valuable input with corrections, additions and highly valued moral support.
Special thanks goes to Edward J. McKennon of New Jersey for his $40 contribution
to help offset expenses. This guarantees that the next 6-month financial
statement will at least show a positive value in the revenue column.
-----------------------------
John Kenyon, creator of the decades.com web site, is continuing the
development of a database to hold all the “memes" of the timelines:
http://www.decades.com
John Kenyon is creating a DB that can be regularly and accurately updated
with content that I provide and we are conferencing regularly to iron out
the details of the project. This DB will put “the timelines" on steroids.
John is my “Monster Garage" developer and I look forward to the wealth
of fruit from his labor. This is not a trivial task and it may be months
before we see a useable product.
-----------------------------
One of the principal reasons for this NL is to keep you informed of
some of the ongoing events associated with the TofH project. This is the
only way for you to know of some the changes, additions and corrections
that I make on a daily basis and a little of the background that makes
it all happen. I guess to average something like 100 entries per day and
most of these need to be compared to existing information. I am running
close to a thousand separate files and worry every day that my computer
might crash, that my job will take me away for an extended number of days,
or that my health might suddenly fail. When I think of the numerous little
snags that could totally disrupt the whole project, I stand amazed that
like Sisyphus I push on. My next big project will be the historical novel
“Organizing History: A True Story."
-----------------------------
I would again like to recommend the web site of Alexander Ganse at:
www.stabi.hs-bremerhaven.de/gbs2/whkmla/
Mr. Ganse is a very active historian teaching in South Korea. He regularly
feeds me corrections and recommendations that improve the timelines for
all our benefit.
-----------------------------
The folks at the British Public Record Office - (the UK National Archives),
have created a very nice history educational site at:
http://Learningcurve.pro.gov.uk
“Using documents, images, and film (presented in the original format)
from the PRO's 1000 year old collection, the 'Learning Curve' investigates
a variety of historical topics ranging from Medieval cartoons to The Cold
War. Each section is accompanied by informed commentary and structured
questions. There are also fun games in some of the sections to test
your knowledge."
-----------------------------
Corrections from feedback include:
1720s The Ephrata Cloister communal society in Amish country
near Philadelphia was founded by a former elder of the German Dunkers (German
Baptists who later became the Church of the Brethren).
(Hem, 6/96, p.107)(http://www.cob-net.org/cloister.htm)
-----------------------------
New additions based on contributions from users include:
1834 Aug 1, England ended slavery in the West Indies slaves and
all its Caribbean holdings effective on this date. Slavery was abolished
throughout the British Empire with compensation to the owners. Some 35,000
salves were freed in the Cape Colony. [see 1833]
(NH, 7/98, p.29)(HN, 8/1/98)(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
1835-1837 Some 10,000 Dutch (Boer) cattlemen and farmers moved northward
from the Cape Colony due to restrictions on slavery and the sympathetic
native policy of the government. They settled in what became the Transvaal.
Under Piet Retief they began to occupy Zululand and Natal.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
1835-1868 Lesotho acted as a buffer between the Afrikaner’s and British
colonial interests and supplied seasonal farm workers to both.
(WSJ, 3/25/98, p.A11)(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
2000 Jul 1, Australia adopted the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
(SMH, 7/1/00)
-----------------------------
Updated files include Australia, Great Britain 1800-1859, Lesotho,
Mali, Netherlands Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uruguay, 1700-1724, 1790-1799,
1800-1810, 1811-1820, 1821-1830, 1831-1840, 1972, 1973.
-------------------------------
Please remember to hit the Diamond Award Logo at the top of the web
site when you visit so as to enable a higher ranking.

Your continued support and comments are most appreciated,
Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #31
Jul 15, 2002

My schedule got set back a few days due to the zealous over use of bleach
by a lab technician in Portland, Or. The liquid bleach leaked into the
crevice of a DNA-probe analyser used to test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea
and knocked out a sensor that tracked sample movement. What looked like
a simple problem trapped me for 4 days and so I rush to get this out now.
------------------------------------
The annual summer Cyber-Surfari program has again invited the Timelines
of History to participate in their educational student program. My clue
for this summer is as follows:

Put on your time travel suit and step into your time travel machine.
My good friend Prof. Makrotous Lubberwort, the one with the big ears who
loves junk food, needs some evidence from the comet that hit Earth and
led to the death of all the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. What is the
name of the crater created by that comet?
--------------------------------------
A big thankyou to Jane Birch of Provo, Utah, for her 2nd donation to
the Timelines project. The evening before receiving her donation I had
a dream about receiving a donation. Very strange!
--------------------------------------
Work continues with John Kenyon on the timelines DB. We are currently
resolving issues of how to organize the ever constant updates.
--------------------------------------
Updated US state files include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California
Updated country files include Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar,
Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, and Sicily.
New country files added: Marianas, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius
Update time files include: 000-420Mil BP, 1987
New Links: History S. Australia: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fliranre/home.htm
---------------------------------------
User feedback has allowed me to correct a bad link to the Sicily timeline
and to correct and update the California state files.

As always your continued support and comments are most appreciated,
Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #32
Aug 1, 2002

Some months ago I began reading the “History of the Indian Ocean" by
Auguste Toussaint, translated from the French by June Guicharnaud (1966).
This is a marvelous account of the history of an area that gets little
attention in lower level American education programs. Toussaint traces
the story back to the Egyptians and carries it forward to about 1950. I
recommend the book strongly.
--------------------------------
I would also like to recommend the revised edition of “The Idea of
History" by R.G. Collingwood, 1st published in 1946. This very insightful
look at the philosophy of history is not easy reading, but profoundly interesting
for those who seek a deeper level of the subject that unites us all.
I found a hard copy of the Collingwood book at Powell’s Bookstore in
Portland, Oregon. This is possibly one of the finest book stores in the
country and I highly recommend it if you ever get to Portland.
--------------------------------
I just found out that a dear old friend, Vytautas Polteraitis (Poky),
suddenly passed away Aug 2, in Detroit from a heart attack at age 55. He
was one of the most fit people I knew and had just undergone a full physical
with no indications of any problems. Poky will not make it into my timelines
because he was not a world-renowned figure, but like many of our best friends,
he was part of a deep core and will live on in our hearts for his warmth,
kindness and sincere friendship. I mention this in memory of him, to acknowledge
that it could just as easily have been me, and as a testimonial to how
temporal we all are.
---------------------------------
Additions include 2 new timeline files on Technology and Women. The
US Presidents file has been updated.
---------------------------------
A few of many corrections include:
1897 Jul 24, Amelia Earhart was born. She was the first woman
to fly solo across the Atlantic and disappeared in the South Pacific while
trying to fly around the world. Her sister Muriel (d.1998 at 98) wrote
a biography of Amelia titled: “Courage Is the Price." (earlier entry had
1898)
(SFC, 3/1/97, p.A8)(SFC, 3/6/98, p.E2)(HN, 7/24/02)
1895 Jul 26, Gracie Allen, vaudeville, screen, radio and television
personality, wife and foil of George Burns, was born. (earlier entry had
1905)
(HN, 7/26/01)
---------------------------------
Work on the Timelines DB with John Kenyon continues.
---------------------------------
Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #33
Aug 15, 2002

On Sunday afternoons I try to get out for a bicycle ride. I always like
to explore new areas around SF and for the last few weeks I’ve concentrated
on the SF Bay shore line in the old industrial area south of the new PacBell
baseball park. I recently discovered a secluded and very empty little spit
of a park in the shadow of giant container cranes dedicated SF Bay Area
birds. One of the signs there described how the black cormorants need to
hold their feathers up into the wind to air dry after a period of time
in the water, because they do not produce as much water resistant oils
as do some other water birds. The black cormorants are very common on the
bay and their strange, wing-outstretched poses have always intrigued me,
especially while passing over the San Mateo Bridge.
Off on the bay I watched a cormorant take to the air and fly my way
toward shore. Over to my left was a big container dock lined with a single,
long row of light poles. This bird approached the shore and headed straight
for the 1st light pole upon which already sat another cormorant with out-stretched
wings. The resident bird was not about to give up its valued perch and
forced the newcomer on to the next pole, where sat another cormorant. Well
it took Joe-newcomer 5 tries before he was able to chase off a smaller
bird, who in turn moved down the line. This struck me as the classic domino
effect modified with a shunt. The push only worked when a weak spot was
found.
How often in human history do we see similar flagrant attacks, defensive
manoeuvres, new attacks, and delayed ramifications. This has gotten me
thinking of the possibility of basic principles that apply to history.
I need to do much more research on this, and am all ears to your comments
on the subject.
--------------------------
A special thankyou goes to Dianna Pope for her $25 donation and to
James Schoolfield for his purchase of a TL CD. 2002 revenue now stands
at $160.
--------------------------
My 2 favourite items over the last 2 weeks:
2002 Aug 12, US Catholic bishops and rabbis issued a statement that
declared that the Biblical covenant between Jews and God is valid, and
therefore Jews do not need to be saved through faith in Jesus.
(SFC, 8/13/02, p.A5)
2002 Aug, Pres. Niyazov (62) proposed renaming January to Turkmenbashi
after himself Akbar Turkmenbashi, the Great Leader of all Turkmen.
(SSFC, 8/11/02, p.A14)
--------------------------
Here’s an interesting exercise: Take a look at the events for the year
in which you graduated from high school and see how many of the events
you can relate to or remember. Work backwards until you reach the year
where most of the events are “clearly fuzzy" and remembered only post facto.
This will give you a good idea of how world-wise you were at the time.
My own review pointed to age 11-12.
------------------------
I keep adding to my special subject timelines, though many do not get
posted until a “good bunch" of data is accumulated. My most recent new
timeline file is dedicated to theater related events. Let me know if you
have any suggestions.
------------------------
Some Additions: Under subjects a Jazz file has been added. The Maya
and Mexico files have been updated.
------------------------
Sample of Corrections:
1861 Dec, French, British and Spanish troops landed at Veracruz, Mexico,
seeking to force Benito Juarez to resume his financial obligations.
(PCh, 1992, p.485)
to replace the following:
1862 Jan 7, French troops landed at Vera Cruz, Mexico, with the intention
of taking over under the rule of Archduke Maximilian of Austria.
(no ref)
1935 Jul 16, The first parking meters were installed, in Oklahoma City.
Carlton Magee's automatic meter, the "Park-O-Meter" was installed by the
Dual Parking Meter Company in Oklahoma City. The parking meters were divided
by 20-foot spaces painted on the pavement and accepted nickels.
(AP, 7/16/97)(HNQ, 8/4/02)
--------------------------
A few months ago I included an unformatted “parcel" of representative
daily data from the Richard Boylan site: http:// www.MightyCool.com. The
daily data will complete an annual cycle on October 1. Although I have
managed to keep up with reformatting the data, I am about 5 months behind
in integrating it into the timelines. Every once in a while the daily e-mail
from Mr. Boylan does not appear and I go to the today in history site at
Scope Systems: http://www.scopesys.com/today/ The data at this site, though
more extensive, is also very error prone and requires a lot of cross-checking
and reformatting. It will however be fodder for my next cycle. An example
of just the birthdays listed in Scope for Aug 15 will give you an idea
of my daily chore:

Some time ago I was contacted by Tom Schoepen, who was developing a
major graphical timeline in Ghent, Belgium. He asked to use the Timelines
of History to aid his own project. I welcomed his use of my work and soon
created a link to his site.
http://www.worldhistory-poster.com/en/index_en.html
Tom recently contacted me to let me know that his project is ready
for publication. My sincere congratulations to Tom on a job well done.

Crazy. Who the hell is crazy enough to want to realize a timeline of
the entire biological and cultural evolution of mankind. This month, Tom
Schoepen (31) put the finishing touches to his showpiece, after four years
of slaving away. A conversation about the impossibility of being a homo
universalis.

In the Backstage in Ghent, the timeline is set up on a stage. Fifteen
billion years of evolution of the universe and 5000 years of cultural history
are rendered on 2 by 1,37 metre. “More than 3000 important movements, representatives,
essential publications and other facts are situated in time and place,"
the added justification runs. Divided in three horizontal areas, which
are ordered above each other, the development of art and literature, of
philosophy and world religions, and of sciences, is unfolded against the
background of the main political revolutions. An adjustable fastening system
provides the desirable information to hang at eye level. Frames with background
information on movements, classifications and photographs illustrate the
whole…

A STUDENT OF MORAL SCIENCES DEVELOPED A TIME-LINE OF THE HUMAN EVOLUTION,
KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE
Monique Oppeneer EOS, September 2001

…Tom is very keen on the result. But he is realistic. “This time-line
of the human evolution, knowledge and culture does not give the whole world
history. No matter how exhaustive, a lot of western and non-western artists,
scientists and intellectuals are not mentioned, by lack of space. Another
reason is that certain developments – for example the written philosophy
of Black Africa – until now did appear not or less. Some fields of knowledge
have developed stronger in the west than everywhere else. However the time-line
is not a merely western survey. The time-line also contains a lot of non-western
facts, for example the genesis of eastern religions, Judaism, Islam, Chinese
literature and philosophy and the genesis of different people out of genetic
perspective."
You can e-mail me if you would like the full text of the 2 articles.
----------------------------------
It’s always nice to be able to help somebody out. I responded to the
following note with all the timeline files from 1200 to 1700. It then became
the student’s chore to sift out the desired material:

“Hello, my name is Chad H. I am currently taking Art History, and
we were assigned to find a timeline that spans from Medievil (sic) times
to 17th Century. Is there any way you can get me a timeline that covers
this period? The timeline topic preferably needs to be gothic art
but any timeline that covers this period would work."

This also underscores the need for a subject timeline dedicated to art
history.
-------------------------------------
Please click on the diamond award icon to give a yea vote whenever
you visit the TofH site. This helps to raise the site’s status for future
awards. I’m not into collecting awards, but they do help to increase attention
to the site.
--------------------------------------
My continuing reading of Collingwood on “The Idea of History" has helped
me to focus on some fundamental principles of history. I will note them
as I gain confidence in their veracity. Later I shall expand the ideas:
Principle # 1
Nothing happens in a vacuum.
---------------------------------------
Updated year files include: 420-65 Mil BCE and 1Mil-1BCE
Updated countries include: Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco
and Mozambique.
---------------------------------------
Work on the Timelines DB with John Kenyon continues.
---------------------------------------
Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #35
Sep 15, 2002

We have 2 cats and a 3rd, the twin of a neighbor’s which has adopted
us. Our 2 cats are black and white, and the one larger and older than the
other is named Rose. I feed the cats every morning, following my morning
updates. I feed Rose and Stasia from a double bowl while Melvin, the polite
twin, waits at a 2nd bowl. For some years now Rose has immediately taken
position at the right side of the bowl where the cat chow is poured first
and Stasia moves to the left. As soon as the chow is poured to the left
bowl, Rose pushes Stasia over and moves to the left. This is as predictable
as the morning SF fog and I now firmly believe that Rose is both greedy
and left bowled.
This morning ritual is now firmly implanted and I ponder the role of
sheer habit in our daily lives. My readings of Collingwood on the “Idea
of History" have been pushing me away from my habit of recording mere events
to focus more on what he sees as the essence of history, i.e. a thought
process in which the past only lives in the mind of the person studying
the past, and which is based on the thought of the past, i.e. the motivations
of the people involved. I continue to record events now, but this notion
of thought and motivation I accept as critical and will look to include
it whenever possible.
--------------------------------------
I have submitted a small classified ad to American History Magazine
that will likely appear in November for the Jan-Feb edition. This will
cost some $200 and I am using funds from donations and CD sales to cover
the expense.
---------------------------------------
The Web site is sporting a new 2002-2003 Golden Web Award. I show these
to give some credibility to the site for new users and not for self-praise.
Now that the whole top row is filled I will have to either delete one or
start a 2nd row for any future additions.
---------------------------------------
Stephen Bishop in Australia has provided me with a complete list of
Australia’s Prime Ministers with appropriate dates and references that
I will integrated into the Australia file. Thank you Stephen.
http://koala4.homestead.com
---------------------------------------
File updates include India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Macedonia, Sicily,
Sierra Leone, Sweden, and 1965.
---------------------------------------
Among many corrections:
Initially on Jan 1, 1557
1557 Sep 1, Jacques Cartier, French explorer, died in St. Malo,
France.
(MC, 9/1/02)(http://www.plpsd.mb.ca/amhs/history/cartier.html)
-----------------------------------------
Tahir Gul Hasan in Lahore submitted the correction that India did not
attack Lahore on Sep 6, 1965. The entry was changed to read:
1965 Sep 6, India and Pakistan began a second war over Kashmir.
Pakistan paratroopers raided Punjab. It ended in a cease-fire that left
India with control of two-thirds of Kashmir.
(WSJ, 6/11/96, p.A12)(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.A15)(HN, 9/6/98)(SFC, 6/8/02,
p.A20)
------------------------------------------
Work on the Timelines DB with John Kenyon continues.
---------------------------------------
Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #36
Sep 30, 2002

With over 6 years of daily work, the Timelines project is now so large
that my ability to continue building and maintaining it alone is reaching
personal limits. It was always my intention to try to gather in assistance,
but until recently the only assistance has been a few financial contributions
along a good number of comments and corrections. My recent collaboration
with John Kenyon, described below, has proved to be a great example of
what can be done with additional help and new skills. If there is any user
who has been considering some sort of assistance, I encourage you to step
forward. I have numerous back-burner tasks that need attention that include
marked books (data to typed out), Internet searches, link verifications
etc.
-------------------------------------------
The timelines SQL database built by John Kenyon is in a working form
and under test for optimal use. John has provided search criteria boxes
that include subject and/or date periods so that searches can be either
broad or narrowly focused. It is extremely fast and returns data in a format
similar to that in the general timeline pages minus all the references.
In place of the references is a DB code to allow for accuracy in the constant
update process. The references will continue to appear in the general timelines.
We will charge for the use of this DB and will urge professional users
of the Timelines to subscribe. We cordially solicit your thoughts on this
matter.
-------------------------------------------
I have placed an ad in the American History Magazine classifieds to
run from Jan-Jun. The ad cost is $212 and if anyone would care to help
cover this and other expenses, it would be greatly appreciated.
-------------------------------------------
I provide the following link as a supplement to the current political
events:
1798-1993 Instances of use of US forces abroad, a report of 234 instances
over this period other than peace time use:
http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/foabroad.htm
-------------------------------------------
User query?
Would you please tell me where I can find the best place on the internet
for the history and culture of the United States?
-------------------------------------------
Updated countries:
India, Pakistan, Sicily
Updated years:
1862, 1962,1966
-------------------------------------------
A small item dated Mar 6, 1945, came up on the Might Cool Today in
History daily e-mail that said: 117 SD prisoners executed at Savage Farm.
This mysterious little entry was tracked down for me by Mark Olivares and
now is entered as follows:
1945 Mar 6, In Holland SS General Hans Albin Rauter, was ambushed,
and his driver and orderly were killed. Rauter was seriously wounded. SS
Brigadefuhrer Dr. Eberhardt Schongarth immediately ordered reprisals and
a total of 263 people were shot. A Special Court of Justice in the Hague
sentenced Rauter to death and he was executed March 25, 1949. Schongarth
was tried by a British Military Court, found guilty on another war crime
charge, sentenced to death and was hanged in 1946.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~gduncan/massacres.html
(WW2D, p.610)
Mark is also testing the new DB, and has agreed to help me track down
other mysterious entries, and I thank him for his work.
--------------------------------------------
1944 Apr 31, Replaced with Apr 30.
--------------------------------------------
More corrections from user feedback:
1992 May, In Sicily anti-Mafia investigator Giovannii Falcone was murdered
on a highway outside Palermo. Falcone’s wife and 3 bodyguards were also
killed. Sicilian politician Salvo Lima was also murdered. Anti-Mafia investigator
Paolo Borsellino was killed in another blast some months later. In 1997
Pietro Aglieri, aka “U Signurinu" (The Little Gentleman), was arrested
for involvement in all three murders. 24 mobsters were convicted in the
murder in 1997, including Leoluca Bagarella.
(SFC, 5/21/96, p.A-11)(SFC, 6/7/97, p.A8)(SFC, 9/27/97, p.A12)(SFEC,
6/7/98, p.A23)
----------------------------------------------

Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #37
Oct 15, 2002

A user kindly pointed out the following web site for Folk and Traditional
Music Timelines:
http://www.deochandorais.de/misc/tml02.htm
-------------------------------------
Timelines of History is proud to serve as a CyberSurfari Outpost! CyberSurfari
is a fun and educational Internet expedition where players explore more
than 100 hand-picked destination sites throughout the Internet. The
contest is a “kid-safe" way to show students, teachers and families valuable
information that can be found on the Web and how to find it! The contest
is designed by the Children’s Web Surfing Alliance, Inc.,
a 501-C3 nonprofit organization.
How it Works: Players can register as a team or an individual and collect
“treasure" by finding the answers to clues written by participating Outposts.
To find the answer the player must go to the Outpost’s site to search for
the answer. When the answer is found, the player enters a unique keycode
to get credit for their discovery. Players can race to the finish
or play at their own pace. CyberSurfari Fall 2002 will launch on
October 18th at 3:00 PM Eastern time. The contest will be available
until January 10th. Stop by now to signup and join in the fun!
http://www.cybersurfari.org

My entry for the fall CyberSurfari children’s educational game is as
follows:
Prof. Makrotous Lubberwort, the one with the big ears who loves junk
food, is preparing a new work on philosophy. While shaving this morning
he cut himself on the nose and remembered that there was once a philosopher
who said something like "keep it sharp" or was it "keep it simple" but
he can't remember the guy's name or the exact quote. Dust off your time
machine and jump back to the year 1290 and find the name of the mystery
philosopher.
----------------------------------
Give a vote for the timelines under content in the Econtent Magazine
reader’s choice poll: http://www.econtentmag.com/choicepoll.html
------------------------------------
Updates: 1200-1299, 1300-1399.
------------------------------------
Data below collected over the last few years on the 1739 War of Jenkin’s
Ear accumulated a number of “inconsistencies" which required some sorting
out:

The saga of Jenkin’s Ear:

1738 Mar 28, English parliament declared war on Spain (War of
Jenkins’s Ear). Captain Robert Jenkins had appeared before the British
Parliament holding his severed, pickled ear, and described how it had been
cut off by Spanish coastguards. His tale helped incite the growing animosity
between the two nations, but the ensuing naval and colonial war in the
Atlantic and the Caribbean resulted more from differing trade policies
than outrage over Captain Jenkins' treatment.
(HNQ, 4/16/02)(MC, 3/28/02)
1739 Apr 9, The War of Jenkins' Ear. British Captain Robert Jenkins
lost an ear to a band of Spanish brigands, starting a war between Britain
and Spain: [see 1738, Oct 19,1739]
(EWH, 4th ed, p.555)(HN, 4/9/02)
1739 Oct 19, England declared war on Spain over borderlines in
Florida. The War is known as the War of Jenkins’ Ear because the Spanish
coast guards cut off the ear of British seaman Robert Jenkins.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.555)(HN, 10/19/98)

Summation:

1739 Oct 19, England declared war on Spain over borderlines in
Florida. The War is known as the War of Jenkins’ Ear because a member of
Parliament waved a dried ear and demanded revenge for alleged mistreatment
of British sailors. British seaman Robert Jenkins had his ear amputated
following a 1731 barroom brawl with a Spanish Customs guard in Havana and
had saved the ear in his sea chest.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.555)(HN, 10/19/98)(PCh, 1992, p.292)
----------------------------------

All ears for your feedback,
Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #38
Nov 1, 2002

I have place a link near the top of the front page of the Timelines
web site to the site http://www.decades.com. This site is operated by John
Kenyon and features his new DB search engine that I have been describing
since June, using content from timelines.ws as source material. This is
an early version and the content is not as up to date as that on the timelines
site. Use of the engine will give you an idea of how it works and how search
content is presented. This will be a very valuable tool when completely
updated and even now is quite useful, though John has not yet transported
all the timelines data into the DB.
--------------------------------------
User Inquiry:
Can you provide more data on the following item?
1984 Jul 21, The 1st documented case of a robot killing a human
in US
(HFA, '96, p.34)(MC, 7/21/02)
Response:
The timelines are meant to serve as a pointer. See if you can add to
the info.
User efforts:
1984 Jul 21, In Jackson, Michigan, a male die-cast operator (34) was
pinned by a hydraulic Unimate robot. He died after 5 days. This was the
1st documented case of a robot killing a human in US.
www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/In-house/full8420.html
(HFA, '96, p.34)(MC, 7/21/02)
----------------------------------------
Use of the timelines is hovering around 3,500 hits per week and the
newsletter subscribers list has settled in at about 600. The next issue
of American History magazine will feature a small classified ad directing
attention to the site. Current feedback is approaching the ideal of minimalist
art. Response to my eternal call for assistance, comments, suggestions
and donations, vanishingly small, is hopefully just a sign that there is
nothing too much to complain about.

Best regards,

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #39
Nov 15, 2002

My favorite essayist, Stephen Jay Gould ( RIP May 20, 2002), had a unique
style. His monthly essays in Natural History Magazine were always crammed
with interesting historical background and though his prime focus was on
subjects relating to evolution, he often veered far afield to enhance and
enliven his subject material. Gould would throw out convoluted sentences
and paragraphs that would require one reading to get an inkling of the
subject, a 2nd reading to follow the thought, and often a third to pull
the two together. My favorite aspect of his writing was that you never
knew just what he was going to be talking about until well beyond the introductory
remarks, which by themselves usually took a page or two. His writing was
like an experience in a high quality restaurant, where the initial appetizers
subtly prepared the way for what would soon follow.
---------------------------------
My own style has tended to be much more direct. Whack that nail down
and be done with it, I used to say to myself. This style would get the
facts across and like a good glass of water might quench an immediate thirst,
but there would be no afterglow, no reason to say: “By Jove that was well
said and interesting, I must pass it on!" With this in mind I am throwing
away my old trusted hammer. “Going, going, gone" is the style of the last
38 timelines newsletters and in its place I will try to present something
more reflective of my tastes in food, drink and other daily essentials,
for it is upon these that all else is constructed.
---------------------------------
The unique circumstances of my employment have allowed me to thoroughly
explore the local geography and in the process to develop an appreciation
for the multi-faceted agriculture and history of the North West. Over the
last few years I have become particularly observant of the various grape-growing
regions and have paused numerous times to inquire about and acquire some
local wares. Each week-end I take a little break from the timeline updates,
take a little bicycle ride and attend a wine-tasting. For this NL I would
like to recommend the 1999 Monterra merlot from Monterey County. This is
a $10 wine and was noted as among the 100 best in a recent SF Chronicle
poll. I will be happy to post your wine suggestions.
---------------------------------
Some 25 years ago I made a major transition from tile setter to field
service engineering in the computer and bio-medical field. I re-programmed,
re-tooled, and re-engineered myself to embark on a new path which has led
me to right here and right now. Today I am very restless and am considering
another major transition. My plan is to develop the timelines into a printed
journal or magazine. I would like to retain the timelines web site as a
primary source, but add a monthly or bi-monthly printed form and solicit
articles, subscriptions and advertising. Each issue would feature a country
of the world, a US state, various subjects and the usual accoutrements
i.e. letters, pictures, ads etc.
---------------------------------
The significant cost and risk in this enterprise will require a lot
of support in advance and I will look for this primarily from the timelines
users. Your suggestions, ideas and feedback on this subject will be much
appreciated.

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #40
Dec 1, 2002

Scrambled, the history of the world is scrambled. Not so much like scrambled
eggs, which would make the unscrambling impossible, but more like a garbage
heap, where everything just gets tossed awaiting some future archaeologist
to untangle and decipher the mess. I continue my efforts as assistant to
that archaeologist and day by day lay out the bits and pieces of the heap
in a fashion that I hope will help the many reconstructions that follow.
Just 10 years ago this type of historical tool did not exist. There
were a number of high quality reference books, many still published and
updated annually, but there was no online searchable source, there wasn’t
even the idea of such a resource except perhaps in the minds of a few digital
gurus. The Internet is certainly a remarkable tool.
The data in the timelines has become quite massive and to help matters
I continue to extract special subjects on a daily basis. I am still surprised
by the low amount of feedback and support in proportion to the number of
reported hits and NL subscribers. This month the Feb issue of American
History Magazine will go out and it includes a small classified ad for
the timelines website. Perhaps this will spark some new interest and support.
------------------------------------
The website Schoepen TL Poster link has been changed to Giant Timeline
Wall Chart and his logo link can be found down at the bottom of the front
page.
----------------------------------------
An alert timeline user noted that references to the Massachusetts Bay
Company from 1629 on were often identified as Mass. Bay Colony. I went
back and updated all the references to correct the discrepancy.

The same user also wrote the following:
I really appreciate the Timelines and all the work put into them. I
have a history wall-chart and find it very interesting to see different
or similar developments in different parts of the world at the same time.
I truly wish I could contribute to the work. Unfortunately, I am unable
to work and the disability pension I receive doesn't cover even the
bare necessities. I constantly find myself in debt with little chance of
paying off the family members I borrow from. I pray that you may find the
requisite number of donors to help keep the site going. Should I find myself
capable of helping I will gladly do so. I love history and find it endlessly
fascinating. Just reading one of the pages is really instructive and educational.
I just wish I could remember every detail.

Sigrun from Canada

Such responses are a reward in themselves!
------------------------------------
I have updated the files:1600-1625, 1626-1660, 1661-1699, 1943-1949,
1955, and Massachusetts. A new subject file has been added: Black History.
------------------------------------
A user recommended the following macabre site:
Blaques Crime Dungeon: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blaques-dungeon/
A regular round-up of the world's most shocking, heinous crimes, as
regularly posted on Usenet's alt.tasteless.
------------------------------------
User contributions: The following 2 items came by e-mail off the Internet,
but I do not have corroboration on their validity from other sources. They
are most interesting if true, and if anybody can point to a printed source
I would much appreciate it.
I tried to contact scott.sullivan to no avail.
1986 Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel. He was captured tried
and imprisoned by Israeli authorities. The 1993 Oslo agreement called for
the release of political prisoners and Atta was released.
(scott.sullivan@afp.gov.au)
1987 Oliver North testified before Sen. Al Gore that he had spent
$60,000 for a home security system as protection from terrorist Osama bin
Laden. North recommended that a team be dispatched to assassinate bin Laden.
(scott.sullivan@afp.gov.au)

Algis Ratnikas
aalgis@aol.com

Timelines of History
http://timelines.ws
Newsletter #41
Dec 15, 2002

A death in the family has thrown me a big setback, so this will be short.
Normal updates continue and my small ad is now running in the current issue
of American History Magazine. Hopefully this will spark some more interest,
and possibly donations.
---------------------------------
I have posted a new icon near the top references paragraph that allows
your votes for placing the TofH in the History Top 100 category.
---------------------------------
It would be interesting to know when Boston rescinded its anti-bathing
law, or is everybody still bathing there under doctor’s orders:
1845 Boston outlawed bathing unless it was done under a doctor’s orders.
(WSJ, 12/11/02, p.B1)